Gage’s Goal Read online

  “You can relax, you know?” Gage noted from the front seat. She looked at him but with a haunted gaze and asked, “What if they watched us load up?”

  “We’ll lose them now,” Gage said quietly.

  “Have you guys been attacked since you’ve come back to whatever level of normality you have?”

  “Too many times,” Terk replied quietly.

  She gasped. “That’s not good.”

  “We didn’t say it was safe to be with us, but we determined—along with you—that it would be the best of what are all bad options.”

  She nodded. “I’m still coming. You can’t change that, Gage.”

  “I’d like to. I’d really like to know that you’ll be safe.”

  “So would I,” she replied bluntly, “but apparently that’s not an option in our world anymore.”

  “Well, it will be again one day,” Terk noted.

  She shook her head. “This is all just nuts. I don’t know why they did this. Whoever it is.”

  “And that’s what we’ll have to find out,” Terk murmured. “Did anything at work happen before the accident? Anything that was odd or different? Did you get your clearances changed or anything?”

  She thought about it. “I’ve been racking my brains over what might have happened or not have happened,” she noted, “and it’s been really tough to find anything. But there was a change of command, and I ended up moved.”

  “What do you mean, moved?”

  She shrugged. “Under a different supervisor,” she explained. “I wasn’t really happy about it, and they knew it, but I don’t think anybody really cares.”

  “Of course not,” Gage noted. “It’s the government. You do the job, and you aren’t supposed to become the job or to get emotionally attached in any way.”

  “Of course not.” She shrugged. “But how do I work with all these people and not get emotionally attached? It’s hard.”

  “Of course it is,” Gage added sympathetically. “So, considering that, when you said you didn’t like your new boss, what did you really mean?”

  “I felt like I was being watched all the time. And I know new bosses are bad for that anyway because they want to know that you can do the job and can be relied on and trusted. But this was different, and it just seemed like, any time I was on the phone, he was suddenly there, as if I couldn’t have a private phone call or talk with a friend or something. A couple times I got calls about my sister, saying she was having a bad day, asking if I could come by and see her later that day. When I got off the phone, he was asking me what the call was all about. I was upset because it was already a privacy issue, and I didn’t really want to deal with him, but he made it very clear that private phone calls weren’t allowed.”

  “Sounds like an asshole right there,” Gage muttered.

  “Yeah, but we can’t just blame that. I’ve worked with plenty of assholes before,” she noted.

  He laughed. “True enough. We can’t avoid them, but it sure would be nice if we could.”

  She smiled at him. “Then I had the accident, and I didn’t really have much to do with him anyway, as I’m working online.”

  “Well, who asked you to keep working, now that you’re at home?”

  “My old boss. When I did get a chance to talk to him about the shuffles at work, he said he had no idea what had happened or why. He did say he would try to get me back into his department because he really couldn’t afford to do without me,” she explained. “I have to admit that made me feel better because I don’t want to go back if it means working for this other guy.”

  “And who’s to say that you will go back at all or that any of the people you’ve been working with will even be there when you return?” Terk asked. “It’s like that sometimes.”

  “I don’t like that idea,” she murmured. “I’d like to have a little more trust, a little more optimism in my job, a little bit more joy.”

  “More joy would be good for all of us,” Gage murmured gently.

  She looked around and asked, “Where are we?” There was absolutely no panic inside her, just curiosity.

  “Still in Manchester,” Terk replied.

  She knew these men, and she especially knew Gage.

  Not that anybody else knew that they had a connection, and she couldn’t really say what they were because, when they had first met a year ago, they’d hit it off to the extent that they didn’t want to separate. But he had gone overseas again, and, since then, they hadn’t seen each other face-to-face for a long time. And when a friendship is distanced like that, it didn’t seem as if they could develop into a further relationship.

  But she had known in the back of her mind that someday it would happen; it just was wrong timing for them. Then they had both been attacked, and now she had no idea what was happening. She didn’t know if he had somebody else in his life or what else was going on in his world.

  But, for the moment, she felt safe and protected, and, in a world gone crazy, a little bit of stability was on her horizon, and she was damn glad to have it. She closed her eyes and relaxed in the safety of their company, letting the motion of the vehicle lull her to sleep. She heard them talking quietly in the front seat but tuned it out, confident that, if anything needed her attention, they would wake her up.

  When she opened her eyes again, her passenger door was open, Gage nudging her awake. “Are we here already?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

  “Yes,” he replied gently. Looking down at her leg, he asked, “Can you walk?”

  “I walked into the elevator,” she noted, “so why wouldn’t I walk now?”

  “Because I know you’re hurt worse than you’re letting on,” he murmured, “and you’re being stubborn about it.”

  She gave him a look, batted her eyes, and said, “What? You mean, being stubborn is just a male thing?”

  “Nope, not at all.” He grinned, as he helped her down.

  She felt the shock of the landing on the concrete all the way up her spine and immediately knew the color was disappearing from her face.

  “Like I said …” And, with that, he gently put an arm under her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.”

  They were at a weird warehouse-looking facility. “Where are we anyway?” she murmured, looking around.

  “Well, it’s home. It’s not very much to look at, and not a whole lot of it is set up for us, so it’ll be tight quarters,” he explained, “but several of us are here.”

  “Good,” she replied. “That sounds about right. At least the others will be here to help you.”

  “Maybe, but they’ve also got their own issues,” he murmured.

  “Of course they do.” Lorelei nodded. “Everybody was hurt, weren’t they?”

  “Terk got off the easiest,” Gage added. “Though, ever since, he’s been putting himself at risk, trying to keep the rest of us alive.”

  “But then that’s Terk, isn’t it?” she noted, equally quietly. “That man has never been very good at letting go.”

  Gage laughed. “Especially not for those he cares about.”

  “I’m surprised his brother isn’t here too.”

  “He is actually. Do you know about Merk’s or Levi’s group?”

  “Just a little bit. I remember talking to Terk once and him saying that he and his brother were close, but that their paths were ever-so-slightly different.”

  “I think that goes for all siblings, doesn’t it?”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged. “I don’t know.” Once inside she took a deep breath. “Do we have much farther to walk?”

  “Nope,” he stated, “but, if you want, I can carry you this last bit.”

  “No, that won’t be good,” she replied. “I want to go in there not under my own steam.”

  He nodded. “I get it, but nobody will think worse of you.”

  “Maybe not,” she stated. “I’m just getting very, very tired.” And, with that, he helped her limp forward, until suddenly they were in a large room. She stopped, looked around at the people staring at her. It took a few moments for her to get her bearings, and then, with a weak smile, she lifted a hand. “Well, Damon, this isn’t exactly how I thought we’d meet again.” Immediately she was engulfed in a gentle hug.

  “Hey Lorelei,” he said. “I hate to say it, but you look like shit.” His arms were quickly replaced by Wade’s.

  “You guys are going to make me cry.”

  “That’s okay too.” Wade nodded.

  She gazed around the room to the two women. Lorelei immediately smiled at Tasha. “Gosh, I haven’t seen you in a very long time.”

  Tasha walked over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “I’m so sorry to hear what happened to you,” she said.

  Lorelei nodded. “Let’s just say it’s been a shit couple of weeks.” She looked at the other woman and frowned. The other woman frowned at her.

  “So, I’m not sure if both of you frowning means you guys know each other or what,” Tasha admitted.

  “She looks familiar,” Lorelei said bluntly, “but I can’t put a name to the face.”

  “I’m Sophia.”

  “Ah, the accent,” Lorelei noted. “Now I remember. You’ve been at several of the computer conferences I’ve been to.” She frowned again, concentrating. “Weren’t you there with part of Levi’s group?”

  “Do you know Levi?”

  “Yeah, he’s been involved in a couple jobs for the government,” she nodded, “and his name has come through a time or two.”

  “So see? You know just enough to be dangerous,” Terk stated. “I wonder if it wasn’t the government attacking us after all.” At his call for attention, and, with Lorelei sitting in a chair with her leg up, Terk filled in the rest of the team on what had happened at thei
r meeting with Lorelei. When he was done, he looked back at Lorelei. “So, either you have a private party after you, or your case is another part of our nasty puzzle as well.”

  “Because of the timing,” she noted, “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was the same thing.”

  “But because a ton of money is involved with you personally,” Gage added, “it could be either … or both.”

  “I know,” she muttered.

  “By the way, did you ever get to see your sister?”

  “That day I did,” she confirmed. “And unfortunately, by the time I got there, she was not cognizant.”

  “And she doesn’t even recognize you?” Sophia asked, sorrow evident on her face.

  “No, she doesn’t typically, but sometimes being around me makes her calmer.”

  “Of course,” Sophia agreed. “She might not recognize you by sight, but, maybe on an energy level, she does.”

  “Well, that’s what I was hoping,” Lorelei noted. “Realizing a little bit of what you guys do here with your energy work, I’ve been researching it, wondering if I could help ease her pain somehow when she’s having those really tough days,” she murmured. “But unfortunately I haven’t gotten very far.”

  “It is an avenue you should pursue though,” Terk agreed, surprising her. He looked at her, then smiled and added, “There really is an awful lot we can do on an energy level, particularly if you’re coming from the heart.”

  “It will always come from heart with me,” she stated firmly.

  “Good enough.” He looked around at the rest of the room. “So, we now have another person involved, another case involved, and she’s also injured. I’m hoping we have enough room here to keep expanding, but living on top of each other will be a bit of a challenge.”

  “Not a challenge at all,” Sophia argued. “We’re all adults. We’re all in trouble, and we know that, if we don’t help each other, we’ll all be in bigger trouble.”

  “You’re right about that,” Terk agreed.

  “So it’s really not an issue, and we still have several other bedrooms—like another four or five, isn’t it?” Sophia asked, turning to look at Tasha.

  “Overall it is a pretty big place,” Tasha noted. “However, we’re contained to just a part of this warehouse. This common area and the private rooms. The smaller closed-off areas aren’t necessarily bedrooms, but they are rooms, some with bathrooms included. Some of the other bathrooms are accessed down the hall.”

  “I’m happy to go wherever you put me,” Lorelei replied. “I just really didn’t want to stay at the hotel anymore.”

  “That brings up another point,” Terk addressed the team. “There was a bug in her room.”

  At that, Gage fished it from his pocket and handed it to Tasha. “You want to see if you can find some information on that?”

  She stared at it in shock. “Seriously? They bugged her room? That just sucks.”

  “Yeah, it does,” Lorelei agreed quietly. “It’s really hard to trust when you realize that, the one time you left your room, somebody went inside and planted a bug to see who you’re talking to.” With that, she looked at Gage. “Any chance I can go lie down?” she asked, desperate to keep the tremor from her voice, but knew she had failed when Gage frowned at her.

  “I knew we should have put you in a room right away,” Gage snapped. “You’ve got to stay off that leg.” He picked her up in his arms against her protest, then turned to Tasha and asked, “Do you care where?”

  Tasha laughed. “I’m not the house mother, and I’m definitely not the house chatelaine.” She shook her head, smiling at her quips. “Find a room that works for you and use it. Like I said, it’s a mixed bag. Go take a look and find her one with a bathroom attached, if you can. Feel free to move anything in the way. It should be pretty easy to see which rooms we’re already using.”

  “Okay, we’ll go take a look,” Gage replied, and, still carrying her, he left the main room.

  Lorelei whispered to him, “Is everybody staying here?”

  “Yeah, everyone who has gotten well enough to join us again, and it’s safe here for us at the moment,” he noted. “We have security set up, and nobody can get in or out without us knowing. So we’re staying here at the moment, while we track this all down.”

  “Good.” She sighed, laying her head against his shoulder. “I can’t say I’m unhappy to hear that at all.”

  “Of course not,” he murmured, “but it doesn’t mean that we can get smug about security.”

  “No.” Lorelei yawned. “That would be the worst thing. That’s when they sneak up behind you, and, pow, they’ve got you before you even know it.”

  “Which is exactly how they took out our two admins, Wilson and Mera,” he noted quietly. “He was killed, shot in his sleep. They tried that with Mera and shot her as she slept, but she survived. She insisted on hiding on her own, and later they followed up and took her down. They tried the same with Tasha, but she heard him coming and made it look like she was sleeping, then hid. Thankfully she came in, when Damon found her. It was just Damon and Terk then, and neither were in that great of shape.”

  Lorelei stared up at him. “I didn’t even think to ask about Mera and Wilson. My God,” she said. “What the hell’s going on here?”

  “Which is why I didn’t necessarily want you to come here,” Gage explained, his tone grim. “This is not all sunshine and roses, and we don’t have a fraction of the answers we need.”

  She stared at the firm jaw above her, then stroked it gently. “Maybe not,” she whispered, “but I know one thing. If there are any answers to be found, you guys will find them.”

  And, with that, he gave a clipped nod. He walked over to a doorway, and she reached out and turned the doorknob for him. Inside was a large room with a bed and a bathroom attached.

  “This is perfect,” she said.

  He laid her gently atop the bed. “I’ll go grab your bags.” Then he turned and walked out, but, when he went to shut the door, she called out.

  “Don’t, … please.”

  He stopped and looked at her. “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t, … uh, … don’t shut the door, please.”

  He frowned, then looked at her for a long moment and nodded. “I can leave it open. But enough people are here, working and living, that you’ll probably want to close it at some point.”

  “That’s fine for later.” She nodded. “I’ll want a lot of things in life, and I’ll get them, one step at a time.”

  And, with a nod, he left.

  *

  Gage walked out to the main room, exhaling loudly, as he put his hands on his hips, and he studied the group. “Is it okay that she’s here?” he asked bluntly.

  Immediately the women turned to face him.

  “Absolutely,” Tasha replied.

  “Of course,” Sophia chimed in.

  He couldn’t detect any falseness in their answers, so he turned to look at the others. It was Damon and Wade that he was worried about.

  “Of course it’s fine,” Damon noted. “We don’t have any place better equipped, and obviously the two of you have a relationship.”

  “Well, I don’t know about a relationship,” Gage corrected quietly, “but I sure don’t want to see her get hurt.”

  “She’s already hurt,” Wade reminded him.

  “Yeah, and what we don’t know is whether that was part of what happened to us or it was something entirely separate. It would sure be nice to figure that out.”

  “We’ve already run down the ex,” Tasha noted, “and pulled the records on her sister.”

  “Why her sister?” he asked, looking over at her.

  “Just in case anything was funky about her long-ago accident,” she said, with a raised eyebrow.

  He nodded and accepted the stack of papers she had printed for him. “Thanks, I’ll read through this, but can you give us the short version verbally? What did you find?” he asked, flipping through the documents.

  “The sister was badly injured in a car accident at eight years old, caused by a drunk driver, who lived another four years in prison and later was killed by another inmate.”

  “So, can’t blame that on the ex,” Gage noted.

  “No, not him, and he didn’t seem to have any family. Lorelei’s ex has not remarried. He’s currently living in Paris and isn’t doing very well financially these days. When they were together, not only was she making a healthy wage but he also had a government job at the same time and was doing well. Between them, they had a comfortable standard of living, but, once they divorced, he lost that. Then she inherited a pile of money that he felt should have been his.”